Godric tilted his head slightly, his gaze distant as he stared at the teapot. Helga stopped speaking, raising an eyebrow at her companion's sudden silence. The lapse in conversation attracted the attention of Salazar and Rowena who were going over magical theory and new spellwork with Harry. Being so close for so long, the four of them had a connection to each other which allowed them to sense when things were off. They had taken to working with Harry in alternating shifts since the young man never seemed to tire and they didn't want to overload him on one topic. Not tiring could have been because physically Harry was resting and healing in the infirmary of Hogwarts, while here they were in his mind which had nothing else to do but learn. Salazar and Rowena approached the others slowly while Harry continued his wandless work.
"What is it Godric?" Salazar asked softly, still keeping an eye on Harry's form.
"Something is happening in the castle. A moment."
Godric faded from their view just as Harry approached.
"Where is Godric fading off to?"
Helga snorted a bit and reached for a biscuit. "He sensed something happening in the castle and apparently it was something he felt the need to go and investigate."
"Can all of you sense the castle?" he asked, looking at the other two.
"To an extent, yes. We are each connected more closely to our respective towers but we all sense the castle. It is its own sentient being but we are sort of the guiding force if you will," Helga replied and Rowena nodded.
"I sense something as well. A strong conflict of some sort occurring in the infirmary."
"The infirmary? Should I be concerned?" Harry asked, not sounding at all worried that his body was in the infirmary.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. That Head Matron of the infirmary is quite a spitfire if I do say so myself," Salazar said with a smirk.
Harry groaned and rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me you have the hots for Madam Pomfrey."
"Alright, I will not tell you I wish to rip off her apron and have her tie me up with the strings to have her wicked way with me."
Rowena and Helga groaned at Salazar's words while Harry yelped and clapped his hands over his ears. During the time the young man had been with them, he had opened up, allowing them to see the intelligent and powerful wizard hidden just under the surface. It was fascinating to compare what they were learning now to what they had seen when observing as the castle. Harry really did dumb down his intelligence and abilities in classes and during interactions with people. He was a force to be reckoned with all on his own. The Founders knew that once he claimed their magic, the only thing that would stop him would be his own personal morality.
Salazar led Harry aside, leaving the two women to talk. Rowena conjured her own chair and sat close to Helga as the head of Hufflepuff fixed herself another cup of tea
"How is he doing?" Helga questioned softly, watching the dark haired young man.
"He doesn't let much keep him down. Salazar thinks he might carry an Incubus line within him."
Helga wasn't pretty when she promptly choked on her tea and started coughing to clear the liquid, her face turning a blotchy red as tears streamed down her cheeks. Rowena waited quietly, eventually holding out a handkerchief as her friend composed herself. She couldn't really blame the woman; she had a similar fit when Salazar had mentioned it to her. Helga wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.
"But how is that possible? The last one known with any certainty was Salazar and he has been dead for centuries. The only way an Incubus or Succubus can even come into their maturity is by interacting with a mature Incubus or Succubus. The bloodlines must have faded out long ago."
Rowena shook her head as she inspected the assortment of biscuits on the tea table, carefully selecting which one she wanted to nibble on. She answered while continuing to debate with herself about biscuits.
"He thinks the various lines may have gone recessive, carried through the females since they can only be Succubi. The Potter line did originate with the Peverells, you remember. And Salazar did have that small fling with the Peverell offspring; the both of them," she answered, finally settling on a strawberry biscuit.
"Merlin, he did. He was horrible with the stories after finishing with those two."
"Well, you know Salazar. If there was pleasure to be had, he was going to be in the middle of it," Rowena said, grimacing as she remembered the graphic descriptions of Salazar's fun.
"So, Salazar is filling Harry in on what may happen when he absorbs the inheritance. Are we sure that absorbing Salazar's magical signature would be enough to bring forward Harry's Incubus?"
Rowena shrugged and looked over at the two dark haired wizards. "Salazar seems confident of it. He has told Harry where his personal journals are so he can read up on being an Incubus. Salazar also commented that since Harry will become our magical heir, he will have access to our private residence, including our main study. Thoughts?"
Helga watched as Harry nodded to something Salazar was saying before smiling brightly. She refrained from answering Rowena, wondering what the two might be discussing.
(!)(!)(!)
"So you're telling me I might become an Incubus? A sex creature?" Harry asked, mostly confused. How could he become a creature he had never even heard of?
Salazar nodded excitedly. "Yes, you just might; and you will not be just a sex creature. You will gain energy from any companion you have intimate relations with as well as control that person's pleasure. You would basically have control of sex magic in any form. You would not have to be Dominant or submissive, nor giver or receiver; you would not even need to be an active partner; just in close proximity to the action."
Harry made a face. "Where's the fun in not participating?"
"Exactly! But you would gain power either way you choose, as an active participant or if you decided to direct the action instead. If anyone has an orgasm in your presence you will still gain power from it."
Salazar pulled Harry closer as they continued to walk and talk.
(!)(!)(!)
Severus carefully pushed the infirmary doors open to admit himself and the crate he was levitating, filled with a fresh order of potions. The infirmary was quiet, currently empty of any patients except Harry Potter. Poppy had almost become rabid in her protection of the young man; only trusting Pomona Sprout to watch over him when she couldn't. Several of the other professors had offered to sit during their free periods but all were turned away with firm words.
Advancing further into the infirmary, he found Poppy exactly where he expected her to be. Seated in a straight back chair beside a medical screen, watching over Harry while her wand occasionally twitched, directing the various cleaning spells she was controlling. The screen still shielded Harry from the rest of the infirmary and none had seen him since Poppy had rescued him so many nights earlier. He knew that Weasley and Granger had been by to visit, only to be turned away by Pomfrey with a stern look.
"Poppy, I have brought this month's order of potions and balms," he announced, as she glanced at him before turning back to her patient.
"Thank you, Professor. Please place them on a bed. I'll sort and shelve them later."
He had been privately horrified by what his three Slytherins had done in the darkened hallways. It smacked of his own childhood at Hogwarts on the receiving end of those sort of attacks. The past few days, knowing Potter lay near death in the infirmary, had forced the Potions Master to be starkly honest with himself. Hearing Lucius Malfoy rant and rave over the injustice done to his son at being arrested by the Aurors and the damage to his reputation, Snape was somehow not shocked that Lucius cared more about the state of the Malfoy name than the fact his son was dangerously close to being charged with the murder of a fellow student. He most certainly faced the charge of attempted murder at the very least should Harry survive. Teaching classes without Potter in them had opened his eyes to how badly he had treated the young wizard. He saw now that the Slytherins felt they had free reign in his classroom. He forced himself to see what he had willfully ignored previously as various Slytherins blatantly ruined the potions of students in other Houses; knowing that he wouldn't come down on members of his own house. It hurt seeing that the other students didn't even try to accuse the Slytherins; knowing he wouldn't listen to them. He vowed once the Dark Lord was gone he would try to fix things; if he survived that is and remained a professor at Hogwarts.
"Perhaps I could sit with Potter while you shelve these or possibly take a walk? A stretch of the legs might do you some good. Or you could partake of a meal in the Great Hall?"
Poppy turned, looking at him as he took the crate in hand and set it on the nearest bed. He looked back at her, trying to arrange his face in an expression of neutrality.
"No thank you, Severus. I'm not comfortable leaving him under your care, no matter how briefly."
The subtle barb rankled him. He normally wouldn't have even offered to watch over any student let alone Harry Potter. But the fact that the statement also insinuated that she didn't trust him to care about a student's well-being was insulting.
"Despite not having your extensive expertise, Madam Pomfrey. I assure you, I am more than capable of watching over a comatose boy."
The next moment Poppy was on her feet with her wand pointing at Severus' chest. He had no hope of reaching his own as she advanced on him.
"The reason I am denying you, Professor Snape," she spat, "...is that while I was treating the boy, searching for magical signatures and clues to what spells were used against him, I found traces of several forceful Legilimens. Now, none of the three students that attacked him in the hallway had that spell on their wand. However, I am willing to bet galleons that if I cast a Prior Incantato on your wand, that spell will show up."
His hand spasmed with an uncontrollable urge to hide away his wand. Poppy's eyes dropped to the quick movement and he knew she realized what was behind it.
"You mentally raped that boy, unrelenting in your attack time after time after time, and that is no way to teach any student. I'm not sure what the purpose was or if there was any point at all to that...that torture! If anything, you tore down any mental fortitude and shields he might have naturally possessed. Did you know that I checked Harry's wand as well? He didn't cast any defensive spells...he didn't cast any offensive ones either! That leads me to believe that after his 'remedial potions' with you, he was so broken that he didn't bother fighting back. He did nothing whatsoever to protect himself after dealing with you and whatever you may have said or done to him! That makes me question your overall quality as a professor when it comes to Harry Potter. You were vicious with him when you didn't have to be and that I cannot accept."
Her razor sharp words pierced his chest and his breath left his body in a shuddering exhale of shock and realization. She did have a point. His own memories of how he learned Occlumency were starkly different from the way he tried to "teach" Potter. Severus' mother might have done little to protect her son from his father but she did teach him how to protect his mind. She had walked him step by step through building his shields and creating distractions to fool those who sought to enter his mind. Taught him with patient examples how to hide away critical information and create false memories to offer as bait. Whereas he had simply ordered Potter to clear his mind before entering it like a battering ram; never teaching him how to do as he ordered, nor even a modicum of mental defense. The sad thing was, he didn't do it under orders from the Dark Lord. His actions had come from his own cruel desire to injure the son of an old enemy; the orphan son with no clear memory of either of his parents. From the memories he had viewed, there was more than a good chance that James Potter and the Marauders would have bullied Harry too, had they been at school together.
"You are correct, Madam Pomfrey. My actions were...intolerable. I will endeavor to be more...neutral towards Mr. Potter."
Poppy lowered her wand and slowly shook her head. "Sadly it might be too little too late. Your Slytherins have done significant damage. Thank you for the potions. Please see yourself out of my infirmary."
Severus watched as she turned, returning to her seat beside the medical screen. She disappeared briefly, leaning forward to check on the young man in the bed before sitting back to rest in her chair. Sighing to himself, Severus turned, departing the infirmary with his proverbial tail tucked between his legs.
(!)(!)(!)
"Poppy, you must see reason. Harry has been here a week and there has been no change. No indication that he will ever wake up. He needs to be transferred to St. Mungo's," Albus calmly intoned, glancing over at the motionless figure on the bed.
They stood away from the occupied bed at Poppy's insistence. The boy was pale but otherwise healthy looking, the infirmary pajamas hiding the healing wounds and various injuries. Albus had honestly expected Harry to awaken a few days after the attack; the boy's reliable luck at escaping bad situations pulling him through yet again. It was disappointing to find himself mistaken. Harry needed to be moved to the long-term care ward and his plans for Voldemort's demise would have to be revised without the sacrificial lamb of Harry Potter. Perhaps he could nick the holly wand before shipping the boy off; possessing the brother wand of Voldemort's could only be helpful.
"No, Albus, I refuse to send him to St. Mungo's. Mr. Potter was injured in this school and he will be healed in this school. As much as I dislike Professor Snape at the moment, it is undeniable that his potions are infinitely better than those at St. Mungo's. The healers there also don't know Mr. Potter as I do and their security is laughable at best. They could not ensure Mr. Potter's safety, from neither Death Eaters nor unscrupulous reporters. He remains here," she declared, crossing her arms over her chest, wand clutched tightly in her hand.
Albus sighed in exasperation, rubbing his forehead briefly. Despite being the Headmaster, Poppy had complete control over all aspects of the infirmary. Therefore no patient could be removed without her approval and Harry Potter was still her patient.
"Is there any brain activity? Any hope he can come out of this?"
Poppy hesitated but spoke before Albus could jump on her hesitation as further justification to transfer the boy. "There are signs of brain activity but it is very deep. Not like someone sleeping or daydreaming. This is deep down, at his mental core. Harry is still there; he's not lost to us."
"But how long will he be like this, Poppy? We cannot wait for him. Tom will not wait for him."
Poppy sneered and Albus was surprised to see that severe expression upon the usually passive face.
"Harry Potter is not a weapon for you to wield, Albus! He is a child, a student, about to be a young man and you care more about winning a war by any means necessary than ensuring that he survives the same war. You need...you need to get out of my infirmary. I am done speaking about this and will deal with you later...or tomorrow. Just some other time!"
Poppy started to motion briskly with her wand for Albus to precede her towards the large double doors. Any time he tried to speak, she shushed him, shoving gently and sometimes not so gently at his shoulders. She gave him one last shove to clear the threshold and closed the doors behind him. She quickly pressed her hands to the wood and called on the infirmary to seal the doors, as was her right as the head matron. One of the monitoring spells she had set over Harry had started to vibrate her wand, indicating he was beginning to wake up. Something told her that he wouldn't want the Headmaster near him while he was waking and temporarily vulnerable. Just as she removed her hands from the doors, she felt another layer of protection overlay hers; magic far more powerful than she had ever felt. Spinning to see where it may have come from, her gaze fell on Harry himself and the swirls of magic pulsating around him.
Hurrying to Harry's side, Poppy watched in shock as Harry began to toss and turn in the bed; eyes flickering wildly under his closed lids. Despite being practically comatose for a week, he was surprisingly active. Brightly colored energy was leeching from the walls and swirling around Harry's body, almost forming a multi-hued shield as the infirmary walls groaned. Poppy turned towards the door, hearing loud voices and equally loud pounding on the wood. Looking back to Harry, she jerked in surprise seeing a pair of intense emerald eyes watching her. Neither of them blinked until a colored streak of magic broke their connection. Harry's eyelids fluttered briefly as he groaned, slowly rolling on his side and pushing himself up.
"Mr. Potter, how are you feeling?" Poppy asked, ignoring the swirling colors to raise her wand and cast a diagnostic spell.
Surprisingly, her spell was blocked as she found herself pushed away from Harry's bed.
"Thank you for watching over me, Poppy, but don't start with that right now," he groaned, not seeing the surprised look on the woman's face at his use of her forename.
Harry forced himself upright, gripping the bed frame tightly for support as he locked his gaze on the nearest stone wall. The parting words of the Founders rang through his mind, Just touch any stone wall of Hogwarts. Our power, our magic will be waiting for you. The magic and knowledge of the Founders. Despite Madam Pomfrey's excellent efforts, he was still weak and practically fell against the wall of the infirmary with both hands pressed against the cool stone. His back arched sharply and a scream burst from his lips as power and pure energy poured into him from both the stone and the swirling mass filling the room. Oh, the Founders did not warn him about this. His hands slowly skittered down the wall as he shivered and shook under the onslaught. He could hear Pomfrey in the background calling out to him and trying to help but there was nothing she could do until all of this was finished. They had at least warned him it would take a few hours. He needed a safe place where no one would disturb him.
"Dobby!" he yelled; reaching for his stalwart house elf.
A pop and a squeak later Dobby was next to him. "Master Harry, how can Dobby help sir?"
Harry squeezed his eyelids shut against the tilting room, reaching out towards the voice, searching for the small creature. A cool hand gripped his and without thinking he pulled his friend closer.
"Take me to the Founders' Quarters. Now," he ordered softly.
There was a moment of silence signifying Dobby's confusion before he felt the rooms Harry spoke about. Harry didn't have to feel them; the Founders had told him that he would have access upon the inheritance. In the same way the Founders sensed the castle, Harry knew the rooms were there, somewhere in Hogwarts; tucked away until the heir was presented. Dobby popped them away.
(!)(!)(!)
Poppy Pomfrey gasped in relief as the pressure around her chest eased and she felt like she could breathe again. Bits of parchment and small pieces of fabric drifted down to the stone floor; no longer held aloft by the swirling energies. Frantic hammering continued to come from the infirmary doors as she slowly straightened, still in shock from what had just transpired. Looking around at her infirmary, she was surprised it wasn't more damaged given what she had witnessed. What had she just witnessed? A soft huff of laughter slipped from between her lips as she fell weakly onto a nearby bed, holding her head in her free hand. The magical output she just saw go into Harry Potter was astonishing, and all coming from the castle.
Grimacing at the now even louder noise coming from the infirmary doors, she waved her wand and dropped the shields, bracing herself for the onslaught. The door burst open to admit Albus, Minerva and Severus, all armed and ready to do battle with whoever was attacking the infirmary. Poppy stood, clearing her throat and smoothing down her apron.
"Can I help you three?" she asked, hiding her slightly trembling hands behind the apron's folds.
Realizing there was a glaring lack of assailants, the wands lowered.
"What happened in here, Poppy?" Minerva asked, looking around at the minimally messy infirmary.
"Well, the details are confidential between the patient and me, but suffice it to say that Mr. Potter has awakened. He...took a dislike to his surroundings and decided to depart."
"Harry is awake? And you let him leave?" Albus asked swiftly.
"Where did he go?" Minerva asked as Severus visually searched the infirmary.
"I did no such thing, Headmaster. Harry called for a house elf and the creature popped them away. I am unsure where exactly as I do not know where the location is that Harry specified," Poppy replied sharply, turning to start tidying the mess.
"But you did hear where Mr. Potter requested to be taken," Severus interjected calmly, seeming to be the only one not really interested in what had just happened.
Poppy paused and thought through what she had heard. She almost couldn't believe it. Of course, she knew about the Founders' Quarters. It was as much of a legend as the Chamber of Secrets had been, but lacking a dangerous creature automatically made it less popular. She doubted any of the current students even knew about the rumor while most of the adult staff had at least heard mention of it. Every once in awhile a historian would publish an article exploring the potential existence of the Quarters and theorize about its location. Poppy had always believed the whole idea was pure rubbish. Confident that any private office shared by the Founders, the place where they kept their most revered parchments; tomes from Alexander the Great, Merlin, Morgana, Catherine the Great, John Smith; was either locked away forever or had been destroyed to protect the world from its accumulated knowledge. Now to learn that a student might have access to it; a student who hadn't had the best life up to this point. A student who had been attacked in a place where he should have been protected; a place he should have felt safe.
"Poppy?"
Her head popped up to look at Albus.
"Mr. Potter asked the house elf to take him to the Founders' Quarters," she replied as calmly as she could.
The reactions were not what she expected if she was being honest. Albus hesitated for a brief moment before swirling around and storming from the infirmary. Minerva wobbled as though she might faint, steadied only by Severus' firm hand at her elbow.
"Are you certain? Potter said the Founders' Quarters," his voice hard. Poppy's gaze snapped to the man she still wasn't a fan of.
"I am certain. It would seem the Founders' heir has been identified."
(!)(!)(!)
Harry gasped as if coming up from a deep water dive and heard a sharp squeak nearby.
"Master Harry, sir. Dobby has been watching and taking care of you," Dobby assured but quieted when Harry waved weakly at him.
Slumping back onto the firm floor, Harry panted, opening his eyes and slowly taking in his new surroundings. He was resting on a thick rug in a room with a high vaulted ceiling, at least from his point of view on the floor. The ceiling came into focus and Harry grunted softly to himself in vague interest at the elaborate detailing. Rolling over, he cautiously pushed himself up, eventually managing to lean against a nearby sofa with an eager Dobby at his side. He reached up to instinctively straighten his glasses but was surprised to not feel the delicate wire frames.
"Do-" his voice caught as he coughed from the dryness of his throat.
A glass of water was promptly thrust into his hands and he sipped it gratefully while gathering his bearings. He felt sore all over, as though he had played an all night Quidditch game, during a rainstorm, in the dead of winter, after going a round with Dudley. He was clad in only his pants with a blanket draped over his legs. Looking at one of his hands, he stretched the fingers out, spreading them open and watching the muscles in his forearm flex.
"Dobby? Wha-" he stopped in shock when he realized it was his voice he was hearing.
Last he knew his voice wasn't that deep and his hands weren't that big. Feeling the tendrils of oncoming panic, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the sofa. Hearing a soft shuffle near him, he cracked open an eye and looked at his friend and helper.
"Dobby, go and get Madam Pomfrey if you can. Talk to her first, don't just pop her here and surprise her."
"Of course, Master Harry sir."
Dobby popped away, leaving Harry alone. After several deep breaths, he felt calm enough to open his eyes fully and look around the room as best he could from this location. What he could see of the space was filled with plush chairs and simple side tables, offering multiple places to sit and drink or read. A large fire was burning in the center of the room, stone pillars at the four corners of the fire pit supporting the chimney. The fire was accessible from all four sides and he could see most of the room over and through the flames. Across from him was a simple kitchen area with table, sink, and kettle. A door next to the kitchen area was ajar, revealing the edge of a toilet. Thick rugs covered the cold stone floors. The color scheme was mostly ivory and a rich shade of deep purple. A double set of glass and wood doors sat ajar, revealing a bedroom. The last door that he could see in the room was probably the exit.
The most interesting part of the room was a large arched doorway that led to utter blackness just off from the room Harry was in. He would have guessed the door was just a black color but it seemed more than that. It was like the light that flooded the entire room with warmth simply ended at the doorway. Over the arching doorway was a shelf supporting a marble statue of a noble raven with its wings spread. An elegant snake was depicted in beautiful tilework on the floor just at the threshold. To the right of the doorway was another shelf with a statue of a magnificent lion, posed and at watch upon a rock. To the left, on a similar shelf, a fierce badger was mounted on a tree stump. With remarkable speed, everything synced in his mind; a badger, a lion, a snake and a raven. He was indeed in the Founders' Quarters and he was in possession of their powers. With that realization, a door opened in his mind and he suddenly had access to practically infinite knowledge. Knowledge that only the Founders had known; long lost to time. Magic flared to life in his vision and he could see the numerous magical artifacts placed around the room like simple knick knacks; his magic swept out from him, down each hallway and into every corner. The statues above and around the doorway came to life and turned to look at him, bowing their heads in respect; the snake's head actually lifting from the tile to bow before descending back into the tile work. The frames decorating the sides of the chimney, that Harry hadn't yet noticed, came to life as the Founders looked down at him with pride.
"Welcome Lord Hogwarts," Helga said, prompting an abrupt giggle from Harry.
He blinked before replying, "Well, that's new."
(!)(!)(!)
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Thank you to all that commented or reviewed or followed or favorited or bookmarked. You all are great! Huge thanks go to MyFirstistheFourth for being such a great beta. It's amazing how many stories we've gone through together. See you all at the next posting.